Oil Stains and Meetings
by deathbybunny
Summary: Precia finds that her car is the bane of her existence almost as much as her meddling assistant is when it comes to a certain mechanic. LindyxPrecia Mechanic AU. cover by amipiai
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hello everyone! So, I've actually been wanting to write a LindyxPrecia story for a really long time but didn't have a good enough idea to go with. Until last night. For some odd reason, all I could think of was a Mechanic AU and so here we are. I'm leaving it as a one-shot for now, but if enough people find this pairing interesting and would like to see more of them, I'm not opposed to continuing this AU. I hope you enjoy!

**Oil Stains and Meetings**

Chapter 1

"Why didn't you _tell_ me something was wrong with the car?"

"I though _everyone_ knew to get their car looked at when the 'Check Engine' light came on."

Precia Testarossa was not having a very good day. Her assistant's snarky replies were doing little to help. Turning back to the source of her current problem, Precia assessed her situation. After the car rattled in a way that indicated something was probably wrong, smoke rose from the hood prompting her to pull over to the side of the road. The two women managed to pop open the hood of the car but they were met with the sight of smoke and lots of wiring and tubes that made no sense to them. Precia checked her phone. There was no way she'd make it to her meeting. Not unless she took a cab, but even then she'd still miss a good chunk of it.

"I guess we have no choice but to re-schedule."

"Things happen." Linith sympathized. "Car trouble seems to be the number one thing in your case though."

Precia chose not to comment and instead made a very important phone call to her business partner; who went ahead of them that morning. They should have taken up his offer to car pool. This whole mishap would have been prevent but hindsight was 20/20. No use in dwelling in what could have been. Precia begrudgingly dialed her partner to give him the news.

Linith, in the meantime, looked at the engine. It no longer smoked, which was a good sign. For a second, she'd been afraid it would actually blow up on them. She definitely wouldn't want to be starting it up again anytime soon no matter how okay it looked. She didn't know enough about cars to be the judge of that, however, she happened to know someone who did. Off to the side, she observed Precia tapping her foot impatiently while she tried to explain her situation to Jail. If anything, he could go through the meeting himself, but Precia always liked being present when deals such as this were being finalized. Her boss finally hung up, stomping gracefully back to her and their broken down vehicle.

"Everything alright?"

"He _thinks_ he'll be fine without us."

"I believe him."

Precia's frown let Linith know exactly what she thought of her opinion. She sighed. For being business partners as long as they had, Precia trusted very little to Jail.

"Try not to worry about the meeting. We need to get your car looked at."

Precia rubbed her forehead. As much as she hated to admit it, there was nothing she could do about Jail. He insisted he would handle the meeting while she got her car situation sorted out before promptly hanging up on her. He was lucky they were related or she'd have him fired and living in the streets for doing such a thing.

"You're right. I'll have to trust him for once but if he messes up-"

"I'm sure he'll have his office cleaned out by the time we get back." Linith joked. She doubted something really bad would happen without Precia there. "Do you have anyone in mind to call?"

"Not really. I usually take it to whoever is close to me."

"If that's the case, then might I suggest someone?"

**xxx**

It took another hour of standing around helplessly before Linith's mechanic pulled up in a tow truck. Precia glanced over at her longtime assistant and best friend. She wore this odd smile she couldn't place. Even during her phone call, she seemed to have that same smile. It was almost like she was going to spring a trap on her and couldn't wait to laugh about it in her face. But what was it? Precia could not see how this would even be possible. They were waiting to get towed. How could that get turned on her? Unless the mechanic was someone they knew. Who though? Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to ponder her question.

"I'm glad you didn't get stranded on the freeway, but traffic is still not kind heading this way." A distinct female voice called from inside the truck.

'_That voice.'_ Precia practically gave herself whiplash as she turned to Linith. There was that same smile still plastered on her stupid face; like a cat that caught its prey. The coward refused to look at her, instead focusing on the person walking their way.

"I appreciate you coming all the way out here, Lindy."

If she didn't hurt her neck before, she surely did by this point.

"Ah, you didn't tell me you had company with you." Lindy came to a stop before the two women.

"Must have slipped my mind." Linith wasn't even bothering to hide her lie.

"It's been a long time, Precia." Lindy's smile was unsure with a hint of nervousness.

Precia composed herself as fast as she could. Linith would not succeeded in making a fool of her. She was not that love struck idiot in high school who couldn't say more than two words to her crush.

"So it has."

No. She was still a love struck idiot but now she could at least form coherent sentences. The two stared at each other longer than would normally be deemed appropriate.

"So, car trouble?" Lindy picked up on the awkwardness of the situation, hoping to move this along before she said anything stupid. It had been a bad habit of hers when they went to school together and not something she wanted a repeat of at the moment.

"Right. Car trouble." Precia turned away, very reluctantly, to the culprit of this entire mess. "It was smoking."

"Well that certainly isn't something that should be happening. Give me a few minutes to see if I can figure out if it's anything really bad. Keys?"

Precia held them out for Lindy to take. Their fingers brushed for a split second. Precia had to abruptly turn away, lest Lindy see her rapidly spreading blush across her face. Linith came up beside her and patted her friend in sympathy. Some things never changed.

"I'm going to fire you." Precia whispered harshly.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes. I. do."

"Why?"

"Because you did this!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." Linith was enjoying herself far too much, but she was playing with fire. She knew pushing Precia too far wouldn't bode well for her. Friendship or not, Precia would overlook their history if she crossed a line. "But really Precia, you can't tell me you're _still_ too shy to talk to her?"

"I'm not shy."

"Sorry, I meant, hopelessly in love that you can't even look at her."

"You're fired."

Linith rolled her eyes. That threat lost most of its bite from being over used. Precia needed to find something better to threaten her with.

"I apologize for not telling you who I called, but you wouldn't have let me if I did."

"With good reason!"

Linith sighed. "Precia, she's a _really_ good mechanic. I trust her to be honest when she does work on my own car, unlike some others I've been to that try to swindle me for more money."

"How long?"

She figured Precia meant how long she'd been in contact with Lindy.

"Probably a couple months. She happened to drive by when my car blew a tire. We exchanged numbers and she's been my mechanic since."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"It never came up. Plus, I thought you were over her."

The car roared to life, bringing their attention back to what Lindy was doing. She revved the engine a few times before turning it off.

"Well, I can safely tell you the engine is okay. Did you have your AC on while you drove?"

"We did." Linith answered.

"Did you notice it starting to overheat as you drove?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention to that." Precia mentally patted herself on the back for another successful sentence.

"That's alright." Lindy smiled at her. It nearly broke Precia into another round of blushing. "I'm almost 100% percent sure your car's fan is no longer working properly which is why it smoked like that. It'll be a simple fix."

"Thank you so much for your help Lindy." Linith held out her hand to take the keys back from the mechanic since Precia seemed frozen to her spot. "We really appreciate this."

"Not a problem. Let's get to the shop and get this car running again."

It took a couple minutes for Lindy to load the car onto the back of the tow truck. The drive was mostly silent from Precia but Linith took it upon herself to keep the ride pleasant for everyone involved. Once at the shop, she and Precia found a nice waiting area for customers. A TV even played some action movie to entertain those who waited. Precia, however, found Lindy working to be far better entertainment than some movie. Lindy had unzipped the top half of her coveralls, which was now tied at her waist, leaving her in a black tank top. Sweat slowly slipping down her neck and disappearing into the crevasse of her breasts. It was criminal to look that attractive.

"You're drooling."

Precia glared at Linith, who pretended to be busy watching the movie.

"I'm seriously going to fire you."

"But who else will you trust with all you appointments and your kids?"

Precia scowled. She had a point. Her daughters loved Linith too much for her to just get rid of her. Not to mention she was the only one she trusted to keep everything running smoothly. Curse her.

"Sorry for the wait!" Lindy walked into the waiting area, sadly her coveralls were back on. "Everything is up and running again." She plopped down next to Precia, much to her surprise and complete embarrassment. "Let me go over what I did so you know what you're paying for."

Lindy began to ramble on about the fan and how whoever did work on her car last should be fired for a shoddy job. Precia stopped listening when Lindy leaned over to her with a clipboard that listed the things she worked on. How did she still have this effect on her?

"But I'm just charging you for the fan and labor."

"Wait what?" Precia broke out of her Lindy induced stupor. "But all these things-"

"It's on the house." Lindy smiled.

Precia found herself unable to say anything. Not because her crush on the mechanic was impairing her again, but from this show of generosity.

"I can't." Precia looked at the list again. "You deserve to be paid for the work you did."

"How about this: you recommend me to others as payment?"

"That still seems like too little."

"It gets me more business. I think that's fair enough."

Precia sighed. Lindy wasn't going to let her pay no matter what she said. She supposed she could do something about helping her get more business at least.

"Very well. I accept your terms."

"Great!"

Precia followed Lindy to the register to pay for her repairs.

"It was nice seeing you again Precia."

"I'm surprised you remember me."

"You're hard to forget."

Precia's mind practically screamed.

"Well, you're pretty memorable too." Precia handed Lindy her credit card.

"For good reasons I hope?" Lindy ran the credit card through, waiting for the machine to signal the transaction was accepted.

"Perhaps."

Lindy found herself smiling. The machine printed the receipt for Precia to sign. Lindy returned the card along with something else.

"Call me next time you have a problem."

Precia schooled her face to not break out into a mad grin. Lindy gave her a personal business card which included her cell phone, something she certainly did not plan on losing. She tucked it safely into her purse.

"I'll keep you in mind."

Linith was already waiting by the car by the time Precia finished her business with Lindy. No words were spoken as the two made their journey back to their office, however Precia wasn't counting on Linith staying silent for the entire trip.

"Aren't you going to thank the best wingwoman ever for getting you Lindy's number?"

She hated being right sometimes.

"No."

"You're so mean to me."

**AN:** If you enjoyed the story and would like to see more, leave a review! Bug me on tumblr and let me know you're eager to see more of this pairing. Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** This story got a lot of positive feedback, therefore I decided to make it an ongoing thing. Finished this just in time for Valentine's Day. I hope you enjoy another chapter about these two dorks.

Also, I want to add that Lindy is going to give Precia a price for the part she's fixing and it seems like a lot, but according to google, $400 (which is how much I know this particular part costs) converts to roughly 47,000 yen.

**Oil Stains and Meetings**

Chapter 2

Precia slammed her fist against the steering wheel, setting off the horn but not really caring that she did. Once again, her car decided to give her trouble; although she did not have the luxury of Linith's assistance this time around. With one final punch, she leaned against her seat with a defeated sigh. She was grateful the car did not smoke like it did before, although its break down this time proved to be just as annoying. A honk from behind reminded her exactly of the inconvenience of this breakdown. Unlike last time where she pulled over to the side of the road, her car decided to die while she waited at a light. She didn't understand what was wrong. She tried to shift into first gear as the light turned green, but the car did nothing. Just sat there completely unresponsive to her cursing. A honk once again brought her out of her thoughts. Precia turned on the emergency signals, hoping that would cease the honking. Did they think she sat in the middle of traffic because she wanted to? Cars slowly changed to a different lane to get around her. The honking stopped at least but that meant very little to her. Action needed to be taken. Sitting there feeling sorry for herself certainly wouldn't fix her car or get her out of traffic. With great reluctance, she stepped out, once it was safe of course. Cars zoomed past her, some slowing down a bit to stare. Precia knew she had to somehow move her car out of the street. Not only was it unsafe to leave it as is, but wasn't about to just sit there and be stared at.

Luckily for her, she managed to flag down two guys walking down the street to help push her car safely off to the side of the road. With her car now out of an unsafe situation, she could think more calmly about what to do next. First thing she needed to do was call Linith. She'd been on her way to pick up her daughters from school when this happened. She dialed her assistant who should still be at the office.

"_Yes boss?"_

"I need you to pick up the girls from school."

"_Did something happen?"_ Linith now sounded worried.

"Nothing terrible. My car just stopped."

"_Car trouble again? Well don't worry, I'll pick up them up. In the meantime, you should call a certain mechanic to help you."_

Precia could practically picture the taunting grin on her friends face.

"I'll call you later."

Linith would not have the final say in their conversation. Reaching for her purse, she rummaged until she found a card. Precia hadn't attempted to call Lindy since they last spoke. It was a subject Linith _loved_ to bring up. The excuses she'd give her assistant didn't really do much to convince Linith that she wasn't scared of calling the mechanic. If anything, the chicken imitations thrown her way became the norm. Looking down at the number, she wondered if maybe Linith had a point. A very, very miniscule point. What was she scared of anyway?

Lindy's personality made her very approachable. Always willing to help with a smile on her face. She really had nothing to fear yet she found reasons to talk herself out of forming any kind of communication with her. This, however, wouldn't be a social call. She needed help and Lindy proved herself to be proficient at her job. That was the only reason she was calling. With her mind made up, Precia dialed the numbers on the card. The phone rang a couple times before someone answered.

"_Lindy speaking."_

"Uh, hi Lindy." She mentally cursed herself for stumbling over her greeting.

"_Precia?"_ The sounds of shuffling were heard for a second. _"Sorry,_ _I was trying to give this car an oil change."_

"If you're busy I'll call another time."

"_No, no, its fine. Someone else can take care of this. How can I help you?"_

"My car stopped working."

"_Hmm, what happened exactly?"_

Precia recounted for Lindy her car troubles. Part of her wondered if maybe she should buy a new car seeing as this one seemed to hate her.

"_Well it's hard to say exactly what's wrong without taking a look at it. Tell me where you are. I'll come get you."_

For some unexplainable reason, she felt a fluttering in her chest. It definitely wasn't because Lindy was coming to her rescue. Precia gave directions, glad that being near an intersection would make finding her easier.

"_Okay, sit tight. I'm on my way."_

The wait turned out be relatively short. Lindy smiled brightly upon laying her eyes on Precia. The other woman squashed that fluttering feeling Lindy seemed to effortlessly invoke. She had to keep it together. It should be easier considering Linith wouldn't be around to torment her.

"Your car doesn't seem to like you."

"I agree with your assessment. I don't understand why this is happening so often."

"Let's get it back to the shop. I hope it didn't stop somewhere inconvenient for you."

"Does stopping at a light count?"

"I would say so." Lindy grinned playfully. "Don't tell me you pushed the car out of the way all by yourself."

"Are you saying I'm not capable of doing so?" Precia challenged. Of course she hadn't but for some reason, she felt the need to mess with Lindy.

Without missing a beat, Lindy reached for one of Precia's hands, causing Precia's mind to go completely blank.

"I seem to remember some very capable of terrifying strength with these hands."

Precia coughed awkwardly. This woman would be the death of her or at least be the reason her mind was rendered useless far too many times. Although she found herself able to keep a conversation going which she considered an overall improvement. There might be hope for her yet.

"Yes, well, don't underestimate me." She made no effort to remove her hands from Lindy's. Precia couldn't help but feel disappointed once Lindy finally did let go.

The mechanic went straight to work after that. Once the car was once again hooked up to the tow truck, Precia climbed inside to make their way to Lindy's shop. Much to her relief, Lindy did not attempt to engage her in small talk, which she appreciated. Precia did not like being forced into small talk especially if the people were only doing it because they were trying to get something out of her. Although, with Lindy, the situation was different. Lindy wouldn't try to use her for anything. In fact, Precia felt like she was the one using the mechanic. After all, the only two times they'd interacted were because she needed her help.

"Precia?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you need me to drop you off anywhere?"

"Why? Will this take long?"

"I have a feeling I'm going to need to do more work on your car than the last time. If you need to be home, I can take you there now."

Precia thought for a moment. If worse came to worse, Linith could give her a ride to work, not to mention take her daughters to school. It wouldn't be the first time Linith had to help her out because of car troubles. It shouldn't cause too much trouble for her.

"If you think its best."

Lindy nodded. "Where to?"

It didn't hit Precia right away until they were a block away from her house. Lindy would see where she lived. Did the lawn get mowed? Was her house presentable? Precia cursed herself for not having Linith hire landscapers to do maintenance when she'd suggested. She made a mental note to remedy that as soon as possible.

"Wow, this is where you live?"

Lindy looked at the modest house. It wasn't huge but she guessed that Precia's income must be slightly higher than your average office ladies. Maybe she'd get the nerve to ask more personal questions later. For the time being, Lindy was satisfied with learning where Precia lived.

"Thank you for the ride." Precia looked towards her driveway. Linith's car sat there meaning her daughters were probably home. "Let me know how bad it is."

"I'll try not to be the bearer of bad news."

With a final good-bye, Precia exited the truck. Lindy stayed until Precia disappeared inside the house.

**xxx**

"_You're clutch is the problem. It'll be a day or so until I can get the part in. Unfortunately I have to order it. It's not something that's kept in stock in part shops for some reason."_

"Of course not. Maybe I should just buy a new car."

Lindy chuckled. _"I don't think that's necessary. There won't be anything majorly wrong with it after this is fixed."_

That was the best news she'd heard in a while.

"How much will all this cost me?" Precia had to have something major fixed once and if she recalled correctly, the bill ran quite high.

"_About 47,000 yen."_

That didn't sound right. No matter how much Lindy may be trying to curve the cost that still seemed way too low.

"Lindy?"

"_Yes?"_

"What aren't you charging me?"

Lindy's hesitation to answer told her everything.

"Tell me." It wasn't a request.

"_I'm just charging you for the part."_

"You can't do that again."

"_But I am."_

"That isn't anyway to run a business."

"_Who says I do it for everyone?"_

"So I'm getting special treatment?"

"_Perhaps."_

Precia rolled her eyes. "Do you treat all the pretty girls like this?"

"_Only you."_

Precia nearly dropped the pot in her hands. Maybe talking with Lindy while she cooked dinner wasn't the best of ideas. She cleared her throat, hoping not to seem as affected as she felt.

"Flatterer."

"_Am I off the hook?"_

"No, but I doubt anything I say will change your mind. Very well, do what you want, but I have one condition."

"_And that would be?"_

"Lunch."

"_Lunch?"_

"My treat. Does Saturday work for you?"

"_That's fine."_

"Good."

"_It's a date then."_ It took a couple of seconds for Precia to register what Lindy said. _"Ah I'm needed. I'll call you later!"_

"Wait!"

Too late. Lindy already hung up. Precia stared at her phone. Did she really just ask Lindy on a date? No, this was her way of thanking her for everything she'd done so far. She never said it was a date, but Lindy seemed to think so. Precia ran through the conversation in her mind, trying to figure out if maybe her phrasing somehow made it seem like it was.

"Are you okay mom?" Alicia waved her hand in front of her mother's face. The older woman shook herself out of her stupor.

"Yes, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Fate soon joined her sister on the other side of her mother.

"Well you look a bit flushed."

Dear god was she actually blushing?

"Not to mention you were smiling." Alicia smirked.

"A lot." Fate added.

This wasn't happening. Not in front of her daughters.

"So who's this person you have a crush on?" Alicia asked.

"Who told you that?" She narrowed her eyes at her oldest. She had a sneaking suspicion as to who told her but she wanted confirmation.

"A little birdie told us." Fate smiled innocently.

Her daughters were being awfully cheeky with her. That was certainly rare.

"It's just a friend."

"The one you had a crush on in high school?" They both asked.

Precia _knew_ it had to be Linith who told them. She'd never mentioned Lindy around her daughters, much less any details about any crushes.

Linith was a dead woman.

**AN:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Reviews, as always, are appreciated. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** A wild chapter appears.

**Oils Stains and Meetings**

Chapter 3

"Look out!"

Precia's reflexes perhaps weren't as sharp as one would expect for someone her age. At the tender age of sixteen, most adults would say she should be as agile as a cat. Sadly, that was not the case. Precia only turned in time to see a body collide with her own. There was no time to brace for the impact that followed. The smell of freshly cut grass cut through her senses followed by a dull pain.

"Are you okay?"

_"That voice..."_

Very reluctantly, Precia opened her eyes to confirm her worst fears. Looking down at her, brow creased in worry, was Lindy. Precia could feel the heat crawling from her neck up to her ears. This couldn't be happening.

"Is she alright?" Someone else asked. Precia recognized the voice as Linith's.

It was enough to distract Lindy from continuing to scrutinize the girl below her. Lindy pushed herself up from her position to address Linith. Precia didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she had never been so close to her crush before. On the other, she felt like she was about to die from embarrassment. Why had she even been tackled by Lindy anyway?

"I think she's okay. Maybe a bit disoriented."

"That was quick of you to get her out of the way."

Lindy smiled. "Well I wasn't gonna let a pretty girl get hurt because of an errant soccer ball."

Precia was sure she'd died and gone to heaven. She soon found her view obstructed by her annoying, but faithful best friend.

"Are you ever going to get up?" The playful smirk on Linith's lips wiped away the last bits of her disorientation. There would be endless teasing from all this. She could feel it. Without a word she pushed herself up from the ground and quickly walked away from the duo who did nothing but watch her leave.

"Was it something I said?" Lindy cast a nervous glance to Precia's retreating back. Part of her wanted to go after the other girl, but last time she did that, her efforts were less than welcomed.

"No, she's just," Linith paused. "Very shy."

Still unsure, Lindy continued to stare after the girl she'd had a crush on since she laid eyes on her.

"If you say so..."

Lindy continued to stare after the girl she loved all through high school and up until the day they graduated. Never doing or saying anything to pursue her crush. It was the one thing she regretted up until fate smiled on her and she ran into that girl, now a women, once again.

"So, you never told her?" Chrono looked unbelievably at his mother. He'd known that his father was not the first person his mother had feelings for, but he never imagined his mothers first love was the mother of his underclassmen.

"No." Lindy sighed. "Precia never really showed interest in me, but there were times I thought, maybe, just maybe, she liked me back. Then I'd do or say something that left her upset."

Chrono chuckled. "Not a smooth talker?"

"I never really considered myself smooth at anything."

"Except with cars right?"

It was Lindy's turn to laugh. It was true that where she failed in charming her crush, she was able to work her charm on machinery much more successfully.

"Yes. In my opinion they are easier to understand."

"Well, do you have a plan for your date?"

Lindy chuckled nervously. Although she'd called it a date before hanging up with Precia, she was almost certain the other women did not see it as such.

"About that..."

"Mom, I refuse to let you fail this time."

"Eh?"

The seriousness in which her son addressed her definitely caught her off guard.

"We're going to make sure you don't screw up this time."

"We?"

Chrono didn't answer her and instead stood up with phone in hand.

"Amy? I'm going to need your help."

xxx

"I don't need help." Precia glared at her soon to be dead best friend. Her glare softened but it didn't lessen the message as she turned to her daughters. "And I don't recall ever asking for it."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Mom, please. You looked like you were about to have a meltdown."

Preica's eyes narrowed at her oldest.

"What she meant," Fate elbowed her sister. She wished Alicia was a bit more tactful. "Was that you haven't been on a date in _years_. It wouldn't hurt to have a bit of help would it?"

"Like a refresher course!" Linith added too enthusiastically. "Come on Precia. When was the last time you went on a date?"

Preica kept silent. She was not about to let any of them know exactly how long it'd been since she dated. Linith probably had a good guess, but she wasn't going to give her an accurate number. Precia closed her eyes. It _had_ been awhile since she dated anyone. Her late husband being her last romantic involvement.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

Linith and Alicia jumped up in celebration. Fate smiled as reassuringly as she could. They'd never expected to actually get through to Precia, but the least she could do was try to keep Linith and Alicia in check. She did want her mother to have a good date. If anyone deserved to be happy it was her.

"First, where are you guys going for lunch?"

"I haven't decided on a place yet."

"Then pick one now!" Linith practically shoved the phone in her face. "And let her know."

"Linith can we at least do this later? I have dinner to work on."

"No, this is much more important than feeding your children."

At that moment, Linith's stomach decided that it too was hungry and neglect wouldn't be an option.

"Maybe its important to feed all of us."

"We have all week Linith. There's no need to rush."

"That's true", Alicia chimed in while she looked for plates to use. "And you can fill us in on even more embarrassing stories from your high school years."

"Linith I swear I will kill you if you tell them any more things."

"But mom!" Alicia and Fate had been dying to hear stories for the longest time. They wouldn't be robbed of this opportunity.

"Sorry girls, but I'd like to live long enough to at least see your mom go on this date."

The girls pouted at the response but didn't pursue the issue. The fact they got as much as they did deterred them from pushing their luck too much.

xxx

"You know you really should just talk to her."

Precia sighed. If it wasn't Linith tormenting her, it was this person who suddenly saw fit to give her advice whenever he was around. From the corner of he eyes, she could already see the mess of blonde hair settling beside her. Would it kill him to comb it even a little?

"And when did I ask for your advice?"

"Your face says it all."

"What an amazing ability you possess to see my facial expressions when I'm not even facing you."

He chuckled. "Please, this is where you go to mope."

"I do not mope."

"Then what are you doing here?"

Precia chose not to answer him on the grounds that it was none of his business.

"What do you want Michio-san?"

Michio grinned slightly at the exasperated tone. Clearly Precia was not in the mood for his brand of flirting today. Not that she was ever in the mood if he was honest with himself. It was just his luck to fall in love with a girl who had no interest in him. Looking out the window, his eyes landed on the person that did hold Precia's affection. Lindy truly was a lucky and oblivious girl. They both were. He recognized the looks Lindy threw at the even more oblivious Precia, but said girl never seemed to notice. At the rate things were going, the two girls would never confess to each other. For him, that was the best outcome he could hope for. It was selfish. He knew and he hated himself for it, however, his other half wanted nothing more than to see Precia happy. Hence why he started giving out advice in hopes of, maybe helping her achieve happiness even if it cost him his own.

"Well, I heard about what happened earlier..." he trailed off.

"Do you have nothing better to do than stalk me?"

"I resent that remark." He playfully bumped his shoulder against her's. "Plus it was hard to ignore when the entire school started talking about how the girls soccer captain saved the reclusive school nerd."

Precia scoffed.

"Their words not mine."

"Is that all you came to confirm?"

"No. I also came to tell you to talk to her."

"I don't know why you would even suggest such a thing."

"Because you like her."

"Everyone likes her."

"But you love her." When Precia didn't answer he continued. "Look, all I'm saying is give yourself the chance to be happy. You'll never know unless you try."

xxx

"Wait so even _dad_ knew?" Alicia squealed.

"Oh yes. He knew it was a losing battle for him but he never stopped being there for your mom." Linith answered.

This wasn't what Precia would consider dinner conversation, but Fate and Alicia's curiosity got the best of them. After hearing a tiny bit about her past, they wanted more. Really, she blamed herself for being so tight lipped about her younger years. It was more out of embarrassment than anything else. Like the saying went, hindsight is 20/20 and talking about all these things made her realize just how blind both she and Lindy had been.

"Michiro was, if anything, persistent. Unlike some other suitors though, he knew when to stop. It wasn't until we met again in my last year of college that I decided to give him a chance."

"Then we came!" Alicia proudly proclaimed.

Precia coughed. Truly her oldest could be very blunt sometimes.

"Yes, you two came into our lives." Precia took of sip of her water. "I suppose things happen for a reason. If Lindy and I had gotten together, would I still have you two? Would she have her son? Sometimes it doesn't help to dwell in the past."

"But you still loved her all this time right?" Fate asked.

"I did. Part of me would always love her. Your father knew this but he held a special place in my heart too. I was happy with him for whatever time we had. I wouldn't change that for the world."

"And now you have another chance at being happy." Linith smiled.

"I suppose I do." Precia admitted for the first time. "Although I find it highly disturbing that you are so invested in my love life."

"Precia I've been watching you fumble around Lindy for far too long. You two are getting together if its the last thing I do!"

"I think _you_ need something better to do in your life. Like finding your own partner."

"Who says I don't have one already?"

Precia scoffed. There was no way Linith would be able to hide something like that from her. Linith's unwavering gaze, however gave her doubts.

"You're not serious are you?"

"Who knows?" Linith smiled mysteriously.

"I swear if you don't tell me the truth I'm going to fire you!"

Linith's laughter echoed from the kitchen as she went to start the dishes.

"I'm serious this time!"

xxx

Precia took a deep breathe. The day of their "date" was fast approaching and she'd yet to pick a place to go to. After much deliberating between Linith, Fate, and Alicia, they all finally decided on a nice casual place called the Midori-ya Cafe. It also happened to be owned by Fate's girlfriends family. She wasn't sure if there was an ulterior motive for choosing the location, but she was out of time. Quickly dialing the increasingly familiar number, she waited with baited breathe.

_"Precia!"_

She could practically picture the grin that accompanied that enthusiastic greeting.

"Lindy," her greeting was far more subdued. "I hope you're well."

**_"I'm more than well now."_**

Damn her and her effortless flirting. Had she always been like this?

"I-I figured you would like to know where we'll be eating." She tried her best to keep her heart rate under control. No she would not let Lindy continually fluster her.

**_"And here I thought you were going to stand me up."_**

"It would be quite foolish of me to stand up a pretty girl."

**_"I- uh,.."_**

Precia smirked. Oh how the tables had turned. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She hoped this would be the first of many times she left Lindy fumbling for words.

"I'm sure you've heard of the Midori-ya Cafe."

**_"Oh that's owned by Momoko-chan."_**

She knew it was irrational to feel jealousy at the familiarity in which Lindy addressed Momoko Takamachi. Granted they'd all attended school together, but she'd never been good friends with anyone except Linith and Michiro.

**_"You picked a good place. What time should I meet you there?"_**

"Does 1pm work for you?"

**_"Sounds perfect. I'll see you then, Precia."_**

There was no doubt in Precia's mind that Lindy said her name with far more affection than she had with Momoko's. As silly as it was, she felt a small flutter in her chest.

"I'll see you then."

**_"Bye."_**

Precia unceremoniously dropped onto her bed. She'd done it. Now all she had to do was make it through her date without making a fool of herself.

_"God what have I gotten myself into?"_

**AN:** I'm still alive guys. Maybe I'll actually update one of my other stories before the year is over.


End file.
